The Dog who knew no tricks

The damp Robinson Crusoe redolent of escapades from my younger years sits aloof in this cubicle that smells of dull deadlines and the ledgers of loss. Sometimes I see myself floating along the diagonals of the wooden cabin, just a faint shadow passing through, trying to escape whatever I am engrossed in.

Stupefied in the urban diaspora, the lost lad that I am, takes treasure troves through the days of yore, for memory remains my favourite drug, a peck in the epoch, being all along the periphery of pandemonium and yet not quite in the notes. Sometimes it takes a considerable time line to realize that the closest we will ever experience friendship is necessarily not with humans.

I never set out to teach her any tricks, fetching newspapers or paw greetings. I tried to be the dog myself, the only self improvement exercise I still undertake. Sometimes fascinated by how Rusty would twirl and twist her tongue to lap up water from the bowl, I would slurp water from my tumbler only to be put to etiquette chagrin by those around.

Running berserk in Soar valley, the wilderness in me found resonance in Rusty who tip toed all along the paddy fields with me. On odd evenings when stars glinted through the canopy of banana leaves, I would persuade her to gobble up my mathematics teacher but to no avail. Her ear gyrations however, would lead me to believe otherwise.

For those of you who have been fortunate enough to experience the camaraderie of woofs, please don’t let the vagaries of world take their toll on this friendship for girl friends , wives, jobs would come and go but a loving dog is forever. (BTW holds true for boy friends and husbands too) So let go of the vitriol around you, leave that phone and squish across the wet football field with your dog.

To the naysayers Rusty remained the dog who knew no tricks. It is partly true if your definition considers fetching inland letters but for those who know better every dog is gifted with love waiting to be discovered. Dogs have learned many a tricks from humans. It’s time we learn a little from the dog.